Members of city council call for review of Hamilton’s warming centres

Hamilton’s mayor and members of council are calling on a review of the city’s warming centres, those living on the street are still waiting for a more permanent solution to get them out of the cold.

Ward 2 councillor Cameron Kroetsch says there needs to be more warming centre’s in the city for homeless people, “the policy existing from previous council isn’t adequate. We’re not meeting the needs, you can drive around the city anywhere and see that people are suffering, people are cold and need places to keep warm.”

Hamilton’s medical officer of health cancelled a cold weather alert on Christmas Eve, meaning all city-funded warming centres were closed despite it still being well below zero. A cold alert is issued when the temperature is expected to dip to minus 15 or minus 20 with the windchill.

Dr. Tamar Packer says “many of us are fortunate and come into a warm home and gradually reheat… but if we’re not able to access that we can actually lose circulation in toes and fingers and ultimately develop gangrene and potentially amputation.”

Mary Mills had a son who was homeless ten years ago, she is upset there are so many people living in the cold with very few options, “It’s terribly sad, and it’s also scary to think that someone could freeze to death, in a rich country like this they can’t find any shelter or any warmth.”

Dr. Packer says it doesn’t even have to be that cold for it to be dangerous, “It’s the compound impact of wet wind and temp.”

Mayor Andrea Horwath tweeted an update late this afternoon saying that the hub will now be open from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m. every day, regardless of weather until Mar. 31st. There will also be additional warming centre hours at the Central Memorial Recreation Centre this long weekend until 10 p.m.